Hypocrisy in action, Christians calling groups 'cults' as a pejorative

Yesterday someone left a comment to one of my previous posts. In the classic tone of questions like 'So how often do you beat your mother?' I was asked how I felt about belonging to a cult not unlike Scientology.

The term 'cult' is often bandied about, usually by people who belong to a cult. To me the term 'cult' implies a few things. First, it implies a charismatic leader who engenders deep devotion by his followers (ex: The Pope). The second major characteristic of a cult is that it practices time worn practices of brainwashing through the exercise of intense mind control. This often takes the form of an 'educational' process where spiritual threats of extortion are applied. (ex: Sunday School replete with threats of hell). Finally, I feel like something meets a cult status when it attempts to control the behavior of its followers impinging on their free will. (ex. Pretty much all Christian churches).

There is one more criteria that people use to define a cult and that is simply that it is outside of the mainstream. This criteria alone, however, is not particularly relevant in my opinion. It is heavily culturally biased and attempts to create a sense of propriety simply based on the shared delusions of the masses.

Had an individual grown up in another culture and never seen the Roman Catholic Mass even one time in their life, they would likely think it was one of the craziest things they had ever seen.

The term 'cult' is hurled about as a pejorative usually by people belonging to a cult themselves. Just because a particular ideology, replete with a charismatic leader, educational indoctrination, and thought control, is 'popular' doesn't make it any less a cult in my personal opinion. To me most 'cults' are just the institutionalized dogma of others. Either call them all cults, are call them none. It makes me no great difference.

What follows is the comment I received on this blog and my response. This is an excellent example of the pot calling the kettle black. The author makes reference to how Christian sects control what their parishioners can or cannot do, what they can or cannot think, and who they can or cannot associate with yet has the gall to refer to Freemasons (the strongest proponents of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and liberty) as members of a 'cult'. The hypocrisy is accentuated by the fact that the author, apparently, has no idea how hypocritical he is being in the first place.

The original comments are in quotes.

Taipans Hurricane wrote: "Many Christian based religions consider free Masonists members of a cult."

Sure, and many people who don't belong to one particular Christian sect consider other Christians members of a cult. It's simply an uninformed opinion based on a lack of knowledge.

"Forbidding members from having anything to do with belonging to the group."

I see, so now which group is it that is the 'cult'? The essence of a cult is a form of mind control over an individual. Since these Christian sects you refer to feel qualified to control their membership as to what organizations they can or cannot join or, even worse, what kinds of free thoughts they can harbor, it seems to indicate cult like behavior to me.

Freemasonry came about through the enlightenment. It's principles center around freedom, equality, charity, and morality. It should raise suspicion if any particular Church would try to bar its members from this organization.

Do you honestly want to belong to a church that refuses to allow the congregation to exercise freedom, liberty, equality, charity and strong moral principles?

If you read the original Papal Bull against Freemasonry the main objections the Pope had to our institution was that Freemasons dare preach these principles in modern society.

When a Church survives by governing the belief systems of their congregation it then follows that any organization which inspires free thought and equality might be viewed as threat to their bottom line.

"How do you guys feel about that, as I think it puts your group in a negative light."

Personally, I think it puts certain Christian Sects in a negative light. If they have the audacity to tell their congregation what they can or cannot think, who they can or cannot vote for, who they can or cannot associate with or even who they can or cannot treat as equals, I think this puts them in a very bad light indeed.

Remember that Freemasonry and Enlightenment principles formed the foundation of American society in the American Revolution. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and many other prominent men of the time not only belonged to the organization but extolled its principles in their speech, documents, and laws.

"I know considering myself a christian I find masonites along the same lines of scientologists."

This merely shows your lack of knowledge about our institution.

Scientology is a cult as it contains all of the requisite techniques of mind control and it was started by a single charismatic leader (a science fiction author).

On the other hand, Freemasonry is many centuries old. It has had as members some of the greatest minds and free thinkers in history. It contains no dogma. It is open to men of all religious faiths.

It is a men’s fraternity that is bound by basic principles of morality that are independent of any particular religion of the world.

The fact of the matter is that organized religion has looked upon with fear any attempts by the average citizen to think for themselves and use the powers of science, logic, reason, rhetoric, and geometry to better understand the Universe and their place within it.

Today we have a large swath of the American population professing a belief that the universe is only 6,000 years old and that the 'rapture' is going to happen any day now.

Meanwhile, members of Freemasonry are often scientists and engineers and have included some of the greatest scientific minds in history; Benjamin Franklin not being the least of them.

So, if you want to start throwing around terms like 'cult' I would suggest the folks who are told what they can believe and who they can speak to are in a bit deeper water than the Freemasons who meet upon the level, are tolerant to all men from all religions, and practice quiet and humble charity while acting upon the square and traveling upon the level of time.

That's just my opinion.